1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector, and particularly to an optical fiber connector having an elastic door for preventing entering of dust and vapor.
2. Description of Related Art
Present day telecommunication technology utilizes, to an increasing extent, optical fibers for signal transmission. The use of optical fibers, in turn, requires numerous collateral components especially adapted to handle the light or optical transmission, among which are optical fiber connectors.
Optical fiber connectors for connecting between digital audio systems mostly use a ferrule for alignment and support of the fiber, whether it is made of glass or plastic. Examples of optical fiber connector that uses a plastic fiber within a ferrule includes: i) the F07 Duplex Plastic Fiber System from AMP; ii) the SMI (small Multi-media Interface) Connector from Sony Corporation; and iii) the HFBR series of plastic fiber connectors from Hewlett Packard. For assuring performance of the optical connector, it is necessary that a door prevents dust and vapor in the air from entering the optical fiber connectors.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-331859 discloses an optical fiber connector, which comprises a housing 1 holding an optical element 11, a rotatable door 13 assembled to the housing 1, a fiber plug 2 and a fiber 21 received in the fiber plug 2. The housing 1 defines a cavity 12 for receiving the fiber plug 2. However, the rotatable door 13 is not received within the housing 1, and is easy to be damaged. Furthermore, the rotatable door 13 is at outside of the housing 1 when the fiber plug 2 is inserted into the cavity 12, which increases the space occupied by the optical fiber connector.
Another Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-131564 discloses a socket of an optical connector, which uses a shutter to prevent entering of dust and vapor. The shutter is connected to an inlet side of an insertion hole part by a hinge structure comprising an axial part and a spring. However, it is troublesome to assemble the axial part and the spring with the inlet side, and this consequently leads to extra cost.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved optical fiber connector having an elastic door, which prevents dust and vapor from entering.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber connector having an elastic door received in a housing of the optical fiber connector.
An optical fiber connector in accordance with the present invention comprises: an insert body, an elastic door, a housing, an optical element and a spacer.
The elastic door comprises a shutter and a fixed portion. An indentation is defined in the middle of the fixed portion. The shutter is an elastomer. The shutter can undergo deformation when an external force is acted on thereon, and can restore back to original state when the external force is removed.
The insert body is inserted into a room of the housing and is mounted therein. A faceplate of the insert body and a flange of the housing hold the fixed portion of the elastic door therebetween, which achieves to mount the elastic body. And a protuberance of the faceplate engages with the indentation of the elastic door, which helps to stably mount the elastic door. The elastic door cover an opening of the insert body to prevent dust and vapor to enter the room. The spacer is inserted into the housing and engages with the housing by keys of the spacer coupling with notches of the housing. The optical element is mounted in a mounting aperture of the housing by mounting the spacer to the housing.
The shutter of the elastic door is bent inwardly in the housing by external force from the fiber plug inserted into the housing, and then the fiber plug can be received within the housing.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.